Consultants Saying Things

Two seasoned consultants sharing their unexpected journeys into consulting and what has kept them engaged in the field throughout their careers. Here are 4 things you should learn about getting into consulting... We Discuss: Why did they go into consulting? Why stay in consulting throughout a career? Key Highlights: Chris and Whynde share their journeys into consulting, with Whynde moving from biology/chemistry to consulting at a boutique firm where her first client was General Electric during the Jack Welch era (00:01:36-00:03:00). Whynde's first consulting experience involved working on software for GE's medical machines like CT scanners and MRIs, focusing on pricing and configuration, which helped shape her career through exposure to complex business environments (00:03:22-00:03:42). Whynde credits her growth to mentorship from demanding leaders, including a CEO at her first firm and Doug Hackney, a thought leader in data warehousing and business intelligence (00:04:11-00:04:55). Chris entered consulting after working in grocery retail as what would now be called an enterprise architect, eventually joining IBM through connections with their talent pool because he wanted to contribute to how their tools were sold and implemented (00:05:22-00:05:50). Chris remains in consulting because he enjoys the human element of technology implementation—understanding how different people's perspectives affect the use cases for tools, creating unique challenges in each environment (00:07:15-00:08:09). 4 Takeaways: Successful consultants often enter the field through unconventional paths, as demonstrated by Whynde transitioning from biology/chemistry to consulting and Chris moving from grocery retail architecture to IBM (00:01:36-00:05:50). Early career experiences with demanding clients like GE during the Jack Welch era established high professional standards that shaped Whynde's future consulting approach, emphasizing quality and excellence (00:03:00-00:03:42). Mentorship plays a crucial role in consulting career development, with both Whynde and Chris highlighting specific leaders who recognized their potential and provided opportunities for growth despite their non-traditional backgrounds (00:02:18-00:04:55). The human element of technology implementation—understanding different perspectives on use cases and business problems—provides ongoing intellectual engagement that keeps experienced consultants interested in the field (00:07:15-00:08:09).

Enterprise Architects are just really good technologists and all they really need to know is the latest thing about AI or Agents or Gonkulators or Flux Capacitors.

Is it difficult to find work these days if you've spent your consulting career as a generalist? What is the real value of broad experience in today's market and is it actually an advantage rather than a limitation? There are 6 things you need to know...We Discuss:Is being a "jack of all trades, master of none" truly a disadvantage when transitioning from consulting to industry?At what point in a consulting career do you decide "I suck at this" and need to get out?Does the world really not value generalists, or are we just telling the wrong story?Should consultants with broad experience focus on developing a specialty, or continue leveraging their generalist background?If you're facing an "up or out" situation and need to find a job quickly, should you focus on building new skills or leveraging your existing network?6 Takeaways:Many consultants struggle with career transitions not because they lack skills, but because they're approaching the job search incorrectly by mass-applying to positions instead of leveraging their existing professional networks.Being a "utility player" or generalist in consulting can be a significant strength, particularly in emerging fields like AI and sustainability where connecting different domains of knowledge is crucial.When faced with career transitions, consultants should focus on crafting a compelling two-sentence narrative about their value proposition rather than trying to list every skill and experience they've accumulated.Challenge the common self-assessment of "poor business development skills" among consultants. Such perceived failures often stem from structural issues within consulting firms rather than individual capabilities.The corporate world's bias against generalists is largely a remnant of industrial-era thinking, even though modern business challenges increasingly require broad, integrative thinking.Career management should be proactive rather than reactive, suggesting that building and maintaining professional networks should happen continuously throughout one's career, not just during transitions.To read the Reddit thread that we are reacting to in this episode, check out this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1cbecjo/jack_of_all_trades_master_of_none/

It's that time of year. Overeating. Overthinking. Overimbibing. But full of festive spirit and reflection. What are YOU reflecting on this last week of 2024? On this show we have a tradition of recording an end-of-year discussion. This year we share our most profound learnings from 2024... But it isn't pie in the sky stuff... No. We always keep it fresh and practical for the cats out there... We Discuss: What's the one thing that each of us has learned from this year that other consultants might benefit from? If you're just an associate at a big consulting firm, how can you incorporate and influence culture when you're not setting it? How do you know what the right amount of risk is when making career decisions? How can you maintain focus and avoid "squirrel brain" when there are multiple exciting opportunities? What are the cast's "things of the year" that had the biggest impact? 7 Takeaways: The value of embracing a beginner's mindset was highlighted through Whynde Kuehn's personal journey of learning Norwegian and sailing, demonstrating how stepping out of expertise and into unfamiliar territory can lead to personal and professional growth. Consultants often struggle with maintaining focus and avoiding "squirrel brain," as illustrated by Oliver Cronk's experience of chasing multiple interesting opportunities while needing to learn when to rein in distractions and prioritize impactful work. The tendency to become risk-averse as careers progress and comfort levels increase can limit growth potential, suggesting that professionals need to consciously balance risk and reward even in later career stages. Establishing the right culture, particularly in virtual team settings, is crucial for group success and requires intentional focus on elements like psychological safety and clear communication norms. The definition of enterprise architecture as "the architecture of the enterprise, not just information systems" emerged as a crucial clarification for the field, helping to resolve ongoing debates about its scope and purpose. The podcast's evolution to include live recordings at prestigious venues like the British Computer Society demonstrated how taking calculated risks with new formats can lead to unexpected success. The current state of AI technology was compared to historical necromancy, suggesting that while AI tools can provide valuable insights, their outputs should be treated with careful skepticism as they can be unpredictable and occasionally incorrect.

There's a train of thought that says all consultants are in sales. Maybe. But there is definitely a change in bizdev as you progress from Analyst to Partner. Making the transition from a delivery-focused consulting role to one that requires business development can feel like stepping into an entirely new career, especially when you haven't spent years cultivating relationships with potential buyers. Developing the skills to identify opportunities, build meaningful client relationships, and contribute to sales requires a different mindset and approach that many consultants find challenging to navigate. Oh and your performance appraisal increasingly depends on what work you can bring in. Deep in the ol' Reddit r/Consulting forum, I found a post by a newly promoted consultant who now faced the prospect of needing to sell. So of course we talked about it on the show... We Discuss: How do you begin to build relationships with potential buyers when you haven't had much opportunity to create those connections until now? Is business development and relationship building a learned skill, or do you need natural EQ/people skills to succeed? When using social media (particularly LinkedIn) for business development, is it enough to simply engage and comment, or do you need to develop unique perspectives and content? How do you navigate the transition from being a technical/delivery expert to becoming more of a trusted advisor who can identify and sell solutions? Key Highlights: When transitioning from a delivery role to sales in consulting, having internal networks and relationships is crucial, but often these connections aren't with buyers who have purchasing authority (00:02:13) Consultants don't need to execute the entire sales cycle themselves - it's acceptable and often beneficial to identify opportunities and have more senior people close deals while getting sales attribution (00:15:33) Account planning is critical - consultants should build relationships at their current level and gradually work their way up to senior buyers, rather than trying to immediately reach C-level executives (00:16:46) For long-term success in consulting, consistency and focus in a specific domain or industry are more valuable than being scattered across many areas (00:29:40) Technical consultants are often well-positioned to identify new opportunities because they see operational pain points firsthand while working with clients (00:23:34) When building a professional brand, content should be focused and consistent rather than scattered across various topics - this helps potential clients understand your expertise (00:30:00) Having clear career goals and values alignment is essential - consultants should ask themselves if they'll be satisfied doing their current trajectory in 10 years (00:37:21) For LinkedIn engagement, experts recommend making three thoughtful comments per day on potential buyers' content and posting original content once or twice weekly maximum (00:49:25) When building relationships on LinkedIn, it's important to "give before asking" - contribute value to conversations before requesting meetings or connections (00:46:40) Building visibility with potential buyers can be done indirectly by engaging with their network and participating in relevant conversations, rather than approaching them directly (00:48:27) 5 Takeaways: The most effective path for consultants transitioning to sales roles is to leverage existing client relationships where trust has already been established, rather than trying to build entirely new connections under pressure of sales targets. Successful business development in consulting requires a strategic approach to relationship elevation, where consultants work collaboratively with junior client contacts to earn trust before attempting to reach C-level decision makers. Technical consultants can contribute meaningfully to sales by identifying opportunities during project work and channeling them through senior partners, earning sales attribution credit without having to personally close deals. On LinkedIn, the optimal engagement strategy for consultants is to make three thoughtful comments daily on potential buyers' content while limiting original posts to once or twice per week, focusing on providing value before making any asks. Long-term success in consulting sales requires maintaining a consistent professional focus and expertise in specific areas, rather than taking a scattered approach across multiple topics or industries. For reference, here's the Reddit post: https://lnkd.in/ePhFepwu AND if you stick around till the end... there's a brilliant bit of advice from one of the top voices on LinkedIn, Richard Bliss ( therichardbliss.com ) who gave us HIS expert perspective on this topic. You cannot miss that bit. And speaking of sales, he usually charges for that advice...

Management consultants often grapple with the challenge of articulating what they do while simultaneously questioning if what they do truly matters. Watch this episode for 6 takeaways you need to know about meaning and purpose in consulting. We Discuss: What do consultants even do? Why do people struggle to explain what consultants do? Is it enough to just be doing it for the money? Are consultants who claim to be purely focused on delivering value being genuine? Why do some consultants get stuck in unfulfilling roles? How can consultants maintain perspective and avoid getting lost in the 'consulting vortex'? Why do those who leave consulting ('out' in 'up or out') often end up happier? Key Highlights: Consultants often struggle to explain what they do, as evidenced by a particular Reddit post. This leads to deeper questions about professional identity and purpose. (00:02:45) Initial responses to "what do consultants do?" tend to be either overly generic or unnecessarily complex, highlighting a broader communication challenge in the industry. (00:02:59) Consulting roles span a wide spectrum - from hiring smart individuals as "warm bodies" to bringing in entire teams for specific strategic outcomes, making it difficult to provide a simple definition. (00:07:24) Many consultants start their careers focused on monetary gains, but later struggle with questions of purpose and value, leading to existential crises. (00:13:50) Early-career consultants often chase financial rewards, but this motivation evolves as they advance, forcing them to choose between constant progression and work-life balance. (00:18:44) Consulting work can be highly abstract compared to tangible professions (like construction), making it harder to see concrete results and feel fulfilled. (00:33:26) The conversation addresses the "up or out" culture in consulting and how some people who leave ("out") often end up happier than those who keep pursuing advancement ("up"). (00:44:36) Emphasis on the importance of daily reflection and journaling to maintain perspective and avoid getting lost in the consulting "vortex." (00:37:28) Modern work culture has internalized destructive motivations, making people push themselves beyond healthy limits ("hustle culture"). (00:41:06) The conversation touches on "hedonic adaptation" - the constant moving of goalposts for success and happiness in consulting careers. (00:43:07) Many who exit the traditional consulting career path often find more happiness, though they couldn't see this while still "on the ride." (00:45:18) 6 Takeaways: Difficulty explaining consulting roles often reveals deeper career doubts and questions of purpose. The broad range of consulting work makes it hard to define succinctly, leading to oversimplified or overcomplicated descriptions. Unlike tangible professions, consulting's abstract nature can leave practitioners feeling disconnected and unfulfilled. Starting careers for money without reflection leads to endless goal-shifting and diminishing satisfaction. The "up or out" culture traps many in unfulfilling paths, while those who leave often find unexpected happiness. Modern consulting culture has internalized self-destructive behaviors as necessary for success. To read the Reddit threads that we are reacting to in this episode, check out these two posts: https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1cwp50u/serious_question/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1cwsq6i/i_dont_give_a_fuck_about_business_of_any_kind_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Finding and landing clients can be a daunting challenge for even the most seasoned professionals. Consultants want genuine opportunities to help solve problems and make a meaningful impact. There are 6 takeaways you need to know for transforming the sales process. We Discuss: How do you ask for business without using standard sales approaches that feel phony? How do you find people to have initial conversations with about potential business? How important is emotional intelligence (EQ) in consulting sales? How do you leverage your network to find business? When is the right time to transition from relationship-building to making a sales pitch? How can consultants overcome their discomfort with selling? Key Highlights: Strategies for finding and selling to clients in consulting, emphasizing authentic relationships over aggressive sales tactics. (00:02:37) The importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in understanding client needs and building rapport. (25:23) Offering value first, such as through thought leadership or free workshops, before trying to sell services. (21:36) Networking and leveraging existing relationships are presented as crucial for finding new business opportunities. (05:37) Partnering with others who have complementary skills, especially for consultants who may lack sales experience. (29:43) The challenge of knowing when to transition from relationship-building to making a sales pitch. (39:25) The importance of making it easy for potential clients to take the next step in engaging services is emphasized. (40:26) Consulting sales as an ethical pursuit of helping people solve problems. (41:13) 6 Takeaways: Successful consultants focus on building authentic relationships and understanding client needs rather than using aggressive sales tactics. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is crucial for consultants to effectively read situations, connect with clients, and identify potential opportunities. Offering value upfront through thought leadership, free workshops, or problem-solving sessions can help establish credibility and open doors to future business. Leveraging existing networks and partnerships, both internal and external, is essential for finding new business opportunities and complementing one's own skills. Consultants often struggle with transitioning from relationship-building to making a sales pitch, highlighting the importance of recognizing buying signals. Framing consulting sales as an ethical pursuit of helping people solve problems can help overcome discomfort with traditional selling approaches.

In the fast-paced world of consulting, the ability to ask insightful questions can be the key differentiator between average and exceptional performance. Here are 7 things you need to know about the art and science of effective questioning to generate superior outcomes. We Discuss: How can consultants ask good questions without appearing incompetent? Is the Socratic method overused in consulting? How does asking questions differ across cultures? How can technical consultants improve their questioning skills? How can junior consultants ask questions of senior team members or clients? Key Highlights: The importance of asking good questions as a consultant, rather than just appearing as an expert (00:02:58) Building rapport and psychological safety is crucial for asking probing questions effectively (00:26:13) The Socratic method can be valuable if used with humility and genuine curiosity, not to prove someone wrong (00:30:05) Cultural differences play a role in how questions are perceived and should be asked (00:40:09) For technical consultants, developing questioning skills may require intentional effort as it doesn't always come naturally (00:44:03) Asking questions demonstrates expertise more than just stating facts, though this can be counterintuitive (00:46:16) Good questioning involves being curious, open, caring about the intent, and can be learned through practice (00:45:22) Questions are fundamental to human existence, learning, and career development (00:45:46) 7 Takeaways: Effective consultants focus on asking insightful questions rather than simply demonstrating expertise, as this approach leads to better problem-solving and client relationships. Building rapport and psychological safety is crucial before asking probing questions, especially in different cultural contexts where relationship-building may be more important initially. The Socratic method can be a powerful tool when used with genuine curiosity and humility, rather than as a means to prove someone wrong or appear superior. For technical consultants, developing strong questioning skills may require intentional effort, as it often doesn't come naturally to those with an engineering mindset. Asking thoughtful questions can actually demonstrate more expertise than simply stating facts, though this approach may feel counterintuitive at first. Good questioning involves being curious, open-minded, and caring about the intent behind the inquiry, skills that can be learned and improved through practice. Questions are fundamental to human existence, learning, and career development, serving as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

The consulting industry stands at the cusp of a profound transformation, driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and changing business landscapes. Here are 5 things consultants need to know about adapting and thriving in the future of 2035. We Discuss: How will the role of consultants change by 2035? Is there a historical analog for the current pace of change in consulting? What should individual consultants do to prepare for these changes? Will AI completely replace human consultants? How might consulting firms change their investment strategies? Key Highlights: The discussion focuses on a Strategic Foresight Study for 2035 produced by 2b Ahead, a German research firm, examining emerging trends in consulting (00:01:10) There's increasing uncertainty and "fog" in the business world, making navigating uncertainty a key value proposition for consultants (00:06:09) AI and automation are impacting knowledge work and consulting more than previously expected, potentially displacing roles like legal and medical professionals (00:23:44) The pace of technological change and dissemination of information is accelerating, leading to faster development and adoption of new tools (00:15:02) By 2035, consulting firms may need to invest more in AI hardware rather than just hiring more consultants (00:29:29) Consultants should focus on recording their work in AI-accessible formats and developing "original thought" that AI currently can't replicate (00:31:40) To remain relevant, consultants should actively use and understand AI tools to improve their work and potentially create new business models (00:35:47) The potential impact of AI on consulting ranges from incremental improvements to transformative change if AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is achieved (00:34:34) Embracing uncertainty and adapting to new tools is key for consultants' future success (00:40:18) 5 Takeaways: The consulting industry is facing increasing uncertainty and complexity, making the ability to navigate ambiguity a crucial skill for future consultants. Artificial intelligence and automation are impacting knowledge work more significantly than anticipated, potentially displacing traditional consulting roles and requiring consultants to adapt their skillsets. By 2035, consulting firms may need to invest more heavily in AI hardware and capabilities rather than solely focusing on hiring human consultants. To remain relevant, consultants should actively use AI tools, focus on developing "original thought" that AI can't replicate, and look for ways to make their services more accessible and scalable. The future of consulting will likely involve a symbiotic relationship between human expertise and AI capabilities, with successful consultants leveraging both to provide unique value to clients. Here is the link to the full report, Strategic Foresight 2035 by 2b Ahead. https://2bahead.com/en/zukunftsstudie-kundenkommunikation2030-1 Patreon subscribers get the full document as well as the summarized set of slides. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

The rise of AI in consulting is akin to the demise of the buggy whip industry in the early 20th century. Just as the automobile rendered buggy whips obsolete, AI and large language models threaten to automate many tasks traditionally performed by consultants. Here are 7 things you need to know about adapting to survive this disruption. We Discuss: What is the threat AI poses to consulting? How do consultants USE AI instead of being replaced by it? How can consultants keep an authentic voice in the face of LLMs? What is the consultant's value proposition in an AI future? What types of consulting careers are most likely to be impacted? Key Highlights: The consulting industry may be facing a "buggy whip moment" due to the rise of AI and large language models (LLMs) that can automate tasks traditionally done by consultants. (00:02:53) Consultants who don't adopt AI tools risk being replaced by those who do, similar to how those who didn't adopt typewriters were replaced by those who did. (00:06:45) AI tools can augment consultants' capabilities, allowing them to do more work at a better quality level. (00:27:36) The consulting industry may shift from providing free advisory content to protect their IP from being used to train AI models. (00:10:47) Consultants should be vigilant, view AI as an opportunity, skill up, focus on human elements, niche down, and get closer to clients to navigate the changes brought by AI. (00:33:56) Consulting work that requires human-level decision-making and capability will likely remain relevant in the short to medium term. (00:40:17) Consultants should protect their IP going forward to maintain their value and competitive edge. (00:44:01) Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity will remain important for consultants as AI focuses on past data rather than innovative thinking. (00:30:32) Consultants who enjoy building machines (processes and new things) will have an advantage over those who prefer running machines (turning the crank). (00:41:10) 7 Takeaways: The consulting industry is facing a potential disruption due to the rise of AI and large language models that can automate tasks traditionally performed by consultants. Consultants who fail to adopt AI tools risk being replaced by those who do, highlighting the importance of staying current with technological advancements. AI tools can augment consultants' capabilities, enabling them to deliver higher quality work more efficiently. The consulting industry may shift away from providing free advisory content to protect their intellectual property from being used to train AI models. To navigate the changes brought by AI, consultants should be vigilant, view AI as an opportunity, develop new skills, focus on human elements, specialize in niche areas, and build stronger relationships with clients. In the short to medium term, consulting work that requires human-level decision-making and capability will likely remain relevant. Soft skills, emotional intelligence, and creativity will continue to be valuable assets for consultants, as AI focuses on analyzing past data rather than generating innovative ideas. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

For ambitious consultants aiming to establish themselves as thought leaders and advance to senior decision-making roles, deliberate career planning is important. Here are 5 tips for actively managing your consulting career. We're joined by Patrick Milholland who in his career has served in every major C-Suite position but found his groove with a non-profit career, specifically his utlimate goal of a CIO career. We Discuss: Why would someone plan their career this way? How does education impact the career plan? What are some of the pros and cons to taking this approach? What were some of Patrick's hard choices in his journey? What are some of his insights gleaned from following this process during his career? Key Highlights: Patrick deliberately pursued 3 degrees with the goal of becoming a CIO (3:00-6:24). There was a clear career plan in place and calculated choices were made to achieve the goal. Working as a consultant provided great experience and exposure that enabled attaining a CIO role (12:11-14:18). The consulting skills translated directly. The consulting role was left for a CIO position at a nonprofit where purpose and satisfaction was found, beyond just financial motivators (14:18-15:45). Over time, impressive credentials and titles were accumulated that opened up additional career opportunities (32:13-34:12). The background stood out. Be deliberate about aligning career choices with defined goals and to consider personal tradeoffs like family time (40:24-41:28). Having a plan matters. Location has an impact – being in Silicon Valley expanded options vs. being in Ohio (34:05-34:24). 5 Takeaways: Education has an impact on getting noticed and gaining positions and needs to be aligned with the career strategy, sometimes by sacrificing things Working as a consultant can provide experience and exposure that enables a longer term career plan. Purpose and satisfaction beyond just financial motivators is more important than most people think when they're starting out. The accumulation of impressive credentials and titles can open up more and better career opportunities. Knowing your values, and being deliberate about aligning your career choices with those values will better enable you to reach your goals. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

We spend our lives gaining knowledge of the world around us. Unlearning things, making room for new knowledge or corrected or updated knowledge, is a skill we aren't usually taught and don't often practice. Here are 8 important things to know about Unlearning. We're joined for this discussion by Pete Cafarchio who is an executive coach that helps transform leaders, teams, and cultures. Pete is the CEO of Oculus Consulting and helps practitioners perform at their best. We Discuss: What is unlearning and why is it so important? What are the implications of unlearning for us as consultants? What are the implications for our clients? How do we effectively challenge a client's stuck mindset? What's preventing us from applying this strategy? Key Highlights: Unlearning is challenging deeply held beliefs and assumptions to make room for new perspectives (6:36). It takes courage since consultants are paid for what they know (6:15). We tend to defend our thinking, but feeling defensive can indicate we're not fully convinced about something (24:25). Self-awareness of our emotional reactions can reveal opportunities for unlearning (25:05). Groupthink and technology like social media algorithms can reinforce entrenched thinking, making unlearning more difficult (17:58, 30:04). Practical tips for unlearning include exposing ourselves to contrary views (35:02) and asking questions that imagine project failure scenarios (36:32) or competitor advantages (37:13) to surface overlooked issues. Facilitating unlearning conversations creates value for clients by getting them to reconsider assumptions (44:23). Information is now ubiquitous; consultants add value through context, application and strategy (43:36). 8 Takeaways: Unlearning involves challenging ingrained beliefs to make room for new perspectives, which takes courage since consultants are paid for their knowledge. (6:36) Feeling defensive about an idea can signal that we are not fully convinced about it and presents an opportunity for unlearning. (24:25) Technology like social media algorithms tends to reinforce tribal thinking, making unlearning more difficult. (30:04) Intentionally exposing ourselves to contrary opinions helps to challenge our assumptions and unlearn. (35:02) Asking “what if we fail” questions imagine failure scenarios to uncover overlooked issues. (36:32) Posing “what would competitors do” questions surfaces organizational vulnerabilities. (37:13) Facilitating unlearning conversations creates value for clients by getting them to challenge assumptions. (44:23) With ubiquitous information, consultants now add value through context, application and strategy rather than just providing information. (43:36) When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Check out https://patreon.com/ConsultantsSayingThings and subscribe for special access to EVEN MORE content from the team.

With focus on people, practical tips, managing uncertainty, anticipating trends, and weighing digital impacts - our annual Christmas Special is chock-full of useful and relevant stuff for consultants. We Discuss: First appearances on the podcast by each of the cast and current reflections on what each of us said back then Best-of moments from 2023 and why they are relevant Predictions for 2024 Key Highlights: Phil reflects on his comments from the first ever episode in 2018, showing how his views on the importance of understanding people and their needs is still highly relevant today. (00:05:32) Whynde observes how the need for human connection seems amplified now compared to when the podcast started, noting massive changes like work-from-home and AI. (00:13:35) The cast has had thought-provoking conversations over the years that have informed major life and career decisions, keeping the focus more on functioning as good human beings rather than just technology. (00:25:49) The episode on Using LinkedIn for Success was the most popular of the past year, indicating an interest in practical tips beyond just consulting. (00:37:30) Tom Graves advises not trying to predict the future but instead focusing on adapting in real-time. (00:48:03) Whynde hopes businesses become more thoughtful and discerning with new technologies like AI, carefully examining what it really means and the unintended consequences. (01:11:43) Shashi predicts a major skills shift as AI gets democratized, with business users outside IT getting more tech-savvy and implementing solutions themselves. (01:16:01) Phil sees cyber security threats growing as more are able to "game the system", making it harder to discern what's real vs AI-generated. (01:18:37) Chris predicts more focus on how AI is relevant and applicable to solving business problems, beyond just the "gee whiz" factor. (01:23:02) 7 Takeaways: The focus has evolved to be more on functioning as good human beings and maintaining sanity versus just discussing technology. There is strong interest beyond just the consulting audience in practical advice like effectively using LinkedIn. Adapting in real-time is advised over trying to predict the unpredictable future. Carefully examining what emerging technologies really mean for businesses, including unintended consequences, is hoped for. Major skills shifts alongside potential growth in cyber threats are predicted as AI becomes democratized. Maintaining work-life balance seems increasingly challenging amidst more remote work and turbulent times. Frameworks shared, like Chris Potts' unifying model, can help guide decision-making amidst constant change.

The digital age has offered countless opportunities for connection, but the depth and authenticity of these connections often fall short. Check out these 5 strategies for growing professional communities. We Discuss: Why do these communities matter? What problem are they solving? What are some challenges faced by consultants when seeking to build authentic, supportive networks? What are some strategies for a) finding a community to be part of; b) growing one of your own? How much does being ‘close-knit' matter with these communities? Key Highlights: Introduction to Converge Australia 2023, a series of 32 events in 25 days across Australia bringing strategy, architecture and community professionals together (2:20-4:00) The motivation and goals in attending professional community events (23:27-25:52) How to find and get involved in a professional community (25:52-28:11) Expectations and mindset that drive people to attend events like this (30:32-31:47) Importance of quality conversations over scale (36:35-38:18) Keys to building community (40:25-42:16) 5 Takeaways: People attend these events to interact, gain new ideas, meet interesting people, and to make connections - if you're building a community you need to understand their motivations and why people come together Getting involved in a professional community starts with building relationships and networks over time in areas that you have a genuine interest Go in with a learning, exploratory mindset without set expectations and be prepared to give more than you receive and contribute value Breaking large groups of people into smaller, more intimate groups leads to better conversations and connections than one large event Understand who you want to help, what they need, how you can help - realize people are actively seeking community and connections When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE.

Consulting is known for long work hours, lack of work-life balance, tedious work, and sometimes lack of meaning. Here are the 5 things you should know about consulting and disillusionment. In this episode we discuss: What causes consultants to become disengaged or lose passion for their work over time? How do consulting firms try to engage and motivate their employees? Do these things work? What warning signs should consultants look out for that may indicate they are becoming disengaged? Are certain types of consulting roles or firms more prone to this than others? What should the cats on the ground do if they sense they're becoming disillusioned? Key Highlights: Disillusionment begins when reality doesn't match expectations (9:00) Misalignment with values and life priority changes can also lead to disillusionment (14:15) Warning signs include apathy, irritation, fatigue (16:10) Lack of purpose, autonomy, work-life balance, not feeling valued causes issues (23:00) Steps to address: clarify values, assess root causes, change teams/projects, change industries (27:30) 5 Takeaways: Disillusionment in consulting careers can happen when reality doesn't match expectations, values are misaligned, or life priorities change over time. Early warning signs include apathy, irritation, disconnection, fatigue. Lack of purpose, lack of autonomy, poor work-life balance, not feeling valued, and not aligning with company culture can also lead to disillusionment. Steps to address disillusionment: clarify values, assess root causes, explore options like new teams, projects, sabbatical, industry roles. Catch issues early. To retain talent, companies should provide coaching/mentors, flexibility, continual growth opportunities. Fostering feelings of value and community also helps. If leaving a company, do it gracefully - don't burn bridges. Thank them and own that it's your decision to make the change. This preserves professional reputation. When you have a minute, go to the ⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠ to see all the free content. While you're there, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE.

The Corporate IT group is sometimes viewed as a black hole consuming resources and getting in the way of getting business done. Almost like some don't know what Corporate IT does... Some in the enterprise don't really know how to engage with and leverage technology to deliver value. If it is hard for those who work FOR the company, it can be even harder to navigate corporate IT as a consultant who has landed someplace to try to address business problems. Given that corporate IT represents a set of services or capabilities that enable an organization to realize business objectives, it is pretty important for anyone seeking to effect change to understand how to engage with them. Consultants especially need to work with corporate IT in order to deliver promised value for their consulting services (and to collect their fees). Suffice it to say that “navigating the client's IT organization” is not typically taught to consultants before they show up to solve business problems. I wanted to explore this topic with some smart friends. I hit up Chris Potts and R.M. Bastien who have both written and spoken on this topic a great deal. In this episode: What do we actually mean by corporate IT? What does it consist of and what does it usually provide to the rest of the company? Why do some IT groups have a dubious reputation for delivering value? This isn't true everywhere… what makes the difference? Why does IT sometimes seem disconnected from the business it is enabling? For consultants on technical engagements, what are some tips for establishing rapport with the IT group? For consultants on strategy engagements, how do they engage with client IT groups? Chris Potts is a globally-recognized enterprise architect, enterprise designer and mentor who has worked in over 27 countries and helps companies, governments and individual leaders with the creative, practical, cultural and political aspects of being successful in their given contexts. He's the author of a series of books on the value of IT, architecture and how change relates to them both. R.M. Bastien has worked for over 25 years as a management coach, trainer, and architect. His mission is to help leaders understand and overcome the challenges and limitations of the current corporate IT engagement model, and to achieve higher quality and faster delivery of business goals. He is the author of an executive leadership guide to corporate IT strategy. Check out their sites and publications below: Chris Potts Online: https://lnkd.in/gn7ux8F5 FruITion Trilogy: https://lnkd.in/g35RPPiS R.M. Bastien: https://rmbastien.com/ Understanding the Corporate IT Strategy Game: https://a.co/d/75pPl6X Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠or ⁠YouTube⁠. You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠YouTube Channel ⁠(and you should!)

Consultants are required to have multiple sets of skills. One of those involves bringing people together in workshops to address problems or work out complex tasks. Many consultants are terrible at it... In a recent thread in Reddit's r/consulting community, a junior consultant posted that they were running their first workshop and wanted the community's input on how to effectively run this session. I thought this would make a great topic for... more seasoned (old) consultants to reflect on. I asked my friends to join me in a conversation on must-haves for running workshops. In this episode: What's the difference between a workshop, a meeting, a gathering, etc.? When should a workshop really just be a brief meeting or an email? What works best, in-person, virtual, hybrid? When should each be used? What are table stakes, absolute must-haves for any workshop? How do you get good participant engagement in a workshop? How do you ensure participants get value from a workshop? If you are a consultant and haven't already joined the r/consulting community on Reddit, you probably should. Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Clients don't hire consultants to learn about our unique frameworks or totally novel perspectives or listen to our thought projects on topics like AI, data strategy or new product development. They hire us to help drive outcomes. Sometimes these are outcomes that the client has already defined, other times they need some help divining what should actually result from a particular strategy or project. Naturally there is a tension between the design of something and the realization of the thing. For consultants, there is a struggle between the abstract, ambiguous, hand-waving strategic things and the super technical, hyper focused lost in the weeds things. Oftentimes we lose sight of the actual reason for working a problem with a client. We become so involved and invested with the details of HOW that we forget WHY. The outcome is what matters. Keeping focus on that is not always easy. In a recent conference hosted by IASAGlobal.org dealing with Business, Innovation, Leadership & Technology (BIL-T) and focused on driving real world outcomes, my friends and I were asked to host a live session of our podcast. With a dose of editing legerdemain and a degree of intrepidity, we managed to craft an episode from the live talk. In this episode: What are ‘good' behaviors with regard to delivering outcomes? What should consultants be caring about? Are Client and Consultant outcomes always aligned? How do consultants balance what the client wants vs what is achievable? How do consultants know the right level of detail for the audience/client/group? Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠.⁠ You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠⁠(and you should!)

Vacation is a great time to contemplate life, work, and life and work. The two can frequently be at odds for most people. When we can relax our brains for minute, there's an opportunity to check-in and assess whether the work that we do and the life that we lead support one another. We hear all about work life 'balance' but that concept suggests compromises and doing neither work nor life well, but each in mediocrity. What we should be after is figuring out if our life and our work are coherent. Does the one support and sustain the other. Do they move us in the same direction toward our goals or are they moving in different directions, tearing us apart. My friend Phil joined me to talk about this. To be honest, we didn't start out intending to discuss it or make it an episode. We were just having a chat and captured some interesting conversation that has so many 'legs' to it. I suspect we will discuss this more in the near future. In this episode: What's the problem with work/life "balance"? Why are so many people seemingly stuck in work or life situations making them unhappy? What are some purposes to life and how can work provide support? How can you use questioning to help attack this issue? Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠⁠LinkedIn ⁠⁠or ⁠⁠YouTube⁠.⁠ You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠⁠YouTube Channel ⁠⁠(and you should!)

AI is taking over the world. It is suddenly and urgently intruding into everything. It can think better than you, faster than you, treats your kids better and is taking your job. What is a consultant to do? Personally I've been giving everything AI-related a generous dose of side-eye. I see possibilities but also a lot of danger and a more than a standard level of hype. But when it comes to consulting specifically, it seems these tools can both help and hinder our work. Our clients have new powers, but so do we. What are the impacts on the consulting industry? Oliver and Phil and I sat down to discuss. In this episode: - Is AI a threat to the consulting industry? - What types of consulting are at risk? - How will consulting need to change to survive? - What are the impacts to consultants and their careers? - What skills will consultants need in order to navigate this future? This is a great, 40 minute episode. But if you have the stomach, hang around afterwards for an additional 15 minutes of unscripted conversation about this topic... which is a wide, varied, deep subject area. I mention a website about Enterprise Architecture in this episode, http://www.chrisonea.com. There isn't an AI article there, but there IS a bunch of other stuff that might be interesting. Add your thoughts to the conversation on ⁠LinkedIn ⁠or ⁠YouTube⁠. You can also like and subscribe on the ⁠YouTube Channel ⁠(and you should!)

Which is worst? Too much ego in the workplace, not ENOUGH ego in the workplace, an inability to read the room and tune to the right level of ego needed for the moment? The answer is Yes. Ego can lead to self-deception and self-sabotage. Where humility is required, we often find exactly the opposite. We so often encounter (or embody) a total lack of awareness of how actions and behavior are perceived. In the workplace, especially as consultants, this is amplified by clients, context and environment. Getting it right is just not an easy thing to do. I asked my good friends to join me for a discussion the topic of ego. Watch as Phil Yanov, Whynde Kuehn, and Oliver Cronk help me sort it out. Please do indulge us and our egos. For this, our 60th episode and the end of Season 5, we have a record-setting 5 minutes of cold open... It definitely is worth it. Well, at least partially. In this episode: What does the word "ego" actually mean outside of a clinical context? What is too much or too little ego? How does one fine tune the ego for the situation? How do you know when ego is getting in the way of your objectives and how do you correct that? How do we hold ourselves accountable for our ego? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Company culture is important, but not as important as profitability. Layoffs are necessary. Business is business... But you don't have to treat your people like garbage. They're your most valuable asset after all. There are a number of examples we've seen over the past few years of company culture that doesn't seem to get the balance quite right between the commercial needs of the business and respect for the individuals of the company. On the one hand, the business exists to make money and tough decisions are often called for that impact people's lives. On the other, the humans that make up the company deserve to be treated fairly and with some dignity. We recently sat down with Stephen Foreshew-Cain, CEO of Scott Logic, a UK tech consultancy. He has staked out a slightly different approach to leadership of his company by putting the employees first in recognition that happy, motivated employees makes for better business. Importantly, they have matched words with actions. In this episode: How do you attract and retain a diverse workforce? Why does that matter? How far should company leadership go to accommodate employees? What does respecting the employee look like in 2023? Does it vary by type or size of company? What does a good retention agenda include? Is there a generational aspect to employee expectations? Does this topic vary by country? What are the implications around transparency? Check out ScottLogic's website and be sure to read about their People Promise. Also, read some of Stephen's blog posts around the topic of leadership and respect: https://blog.scottlogic.com/2022/01/05/new-normal-for-leadership.html https://blog.scottlogic.com/2022/06/16/pride-2022.html Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

There appear to be economic headwinds as we move into 2023. Tools like LinkedIn can be one of the most powerful weapons in your branding, sales, or employment arsenal. That is, if you know how to use it effectively... In a recent discussion on using Social Media on the podcast, we acknowledged the fact that while all 4 of us have years of expertise in using social tools, none of us are world-renowned experts who train other people how to use them. Luckily we're friends with a person who is. Richard Bliss is 8th on LinkedIn's list of top global social selling experts. He's an author who's latest book is called DigitalFirst Leadership, and heads up BlissPoint Consulting which enables leaders to leverage the language of social media to extend their voice, vision and message. And don't forget that he publishes an annual research report on the LinkedIn Algorithm... So yeah. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to using LinkedIn for success. We asked him to sit down with us and talk through some of our observations and point out a few of his strategies for maximizing your effectiveness on LinkedIn. For all the cats out there who are interested in upping their game on the socials, you'll want to grab a pen and a notebook... In this episode: What are some key strategies for building a successful and effective LinkedIn profile? What are some common mistakes people make on business social sites? How do you better understand the algorithm to maximize viewership of posts and articles? What are tips for finding a client or career opportunity? What are some effective ways to grow your network? Check out BlissPoint's website at https://www.blisspointconsult.com/ and request a copy of the 2022 LinkedIn Algorithm Report. Also check out Richard's latest book on Amazon: "DigitalFirst Leadership: Master Social Media | Build Online Presence | Lead Your Tribe" https://www.amazon.com/DigitalFirst-Leadership-Master-Social-Presence-ebook/dp/B091MD5DL7?ref_=ast_sto_dp Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

With the year ending, and folks in various stages of vacation and merrymaking, the Consultants Saying Things team wanted to get together for our annual Christmas Special. This year we issue awards in various categories (e.g. Best LinkedIn Appearance by a Member of the Cast), talk about significant events of 2022 and turn to our expectations in 2023. In this episode: A revisit to an online argument about clean energy and trains 2022 CST Awards in 8 categories Drinking Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Social media is a wonderful, terrible thing. It is a cosmos of tools that allow us to be our best or, perhaps more often, our worst. If we're a knucklehead in real life, Facebook can make us a louder knucklehead... For consulting professionals, the use of social media is typically career related or career-adjacent. Given there are so many ways to engage, given the sheer amount of noise, given our own proclivities to react emotionally to things we read, how does a professional get their message out while avoiding the combative social trap? I asked my friends Phil Yanov, Oliver Cronk and Whynde Kuehn what they thought. What are the right ways for professionals to leverage social media to connect, build a brand, share ideas, communicate and learn? In this episode: Why should a professional care at all about social media? What are some ways to avoid the social media conflict zone? How does one cut through the noise on the socials? What are some tips on maintaining equanimity while still engaging? What are some common pitfalls to avoid and useful tips to employ? There's some extra goodness in the outro. Hope you enjoy. Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

According to various polls, public speaking ranks as peoples' top fear... ahead of snakes, heights, clowns and, in fact, death itself. Let that sink in. People would rather be DEAD than speak in front of a group of other humans. So, first... why? And second, what can be done about it? Naturally we can't solve EVERYONE'S fear of public speaking, so we decided to tackle this issue from the perspective of consulting. Good consultants need to be able to do a variety of tasks well. Yes there's the need for technical or domain knowledge and skills, the ability to model and analyze, the skill of collecting information and processing it, the requirement of logical thinking, etc. But without the ability to communicate effectively to other people (i.e. the CLIENT), all of that good consultant stuff is less useful or perhaps even useless. In this episode: Why is public speaking important? Why does it matter for consultants? Why are people afraid of speaking in front of others? What are some ways of getting better at public speaking? There is a longish cold open and some extra goodness as an outro. Why? Well as you'll see, our discussions range over a wide, wide territory. Most of that content never sees the light of day. I thought I'd include a bit of off-topic stuff to give you a sense of the kind of people that get MY intellectual juices going. Being around these types of folks and having these kinds of conversations and being comfortable with it is what has enabled ME to face and conquer public speaking fears over time. Maybe it'll work for you... Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

The knock on consulting is that so much of what goes on is either a bunch of fluff and hand-waving at a stratospheric, impractical level or narrowly focused on mostly useless technical gee-wizardry with little connection to actual business need. How do you connect strategy to reality? Luckily there's a new book that takes dead aim at this issue and serves as a practical guide to developing strategy that delivers real-world value. And even more luckily, the author is one of our own... "Strategy to Reality: Making the Impossible Possible for Business Architects, Change Makers and Strategy Execution Leaders" by our own Whynde Kuehn is practical, digestible, and evergreen. She applies decades of knowledge and experience in what works and what doesn't and lays out a prescriptive plan for matching vision with delivery. We wanted to sit down with her and discuss the book, how consultants can apply the knowledge within for their clients, and how leaders in industry can use it as a guide for change. In this episode: What inspired Whynde to write this? What did she learn about the process What are the central factors at play when developing and applying strategy? How does business architecture factor in to strategy? How do you get real-world change from what seem like fluffy concepts? How do these practices sustain themselves inside of organizations? How do consultants help clients connect strategy and execution? Hit up Amazon right now and get her book. It's an easy read with so much useful stuff that you'll definitely want a highlighter handy. Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Being mentally resilient in the face of everything the world throws at us can be daunting. Whether it's work, family, friends, international politics... there's a lot of stress on us every day. How is a person supposed to deal? (Psst: I have the answer...). Okay. I personally don't have the answer. But I'm lucky to know some folks that are certified experts in this area. You may recall in the last episode of the podcast, Phil, Oliver, Whynde and myself discussed our experiences with mental resiliency over our careers. Frankly this amounted to personal anecdotes and clever observations. None of us are actual experts in mental health (which should be obvious to anyone who watches). Enter a couple of friends of ours: Dr. Haley Dare and Gavin Richardson of https://www.neurequity.com/. Hayley is a Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years' professional experience and Gavin has extensive experience in designing and implementing transformational workplace mental health initiatives to enhance employee engagement and organizational performance. It turns out that they're ACTUAL experts in this space. Through their work, they help companies around the world ensure their employee's mental wellbeing. We brought them on to discuss mental resiliency, this time through the lens of professionals. In this episode: Why does mental resiliency matter? What are some of the biggest causes of stress for Consultants? How does that stress manifest itself? What are some of the impacts? What are some of the coping mechanisms? How does brain chemistry factor in? What are some ways to improve resiliency? How do we, as consultants, protect "the asset" ? You're not gonna want to miss this one... It should be said that if you are in real need of help due to stress or other mental health issues, don't listen to this podcast. Go out and get the help you need. YOU are the asset. Protect it! Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Work can be hard. It can be stressful. Consulting in particular is full of A-Types who work long, busy hours trying to help in often frustrating client situations. What if you break? Each person's ability to handle things is different, with some having deeper mental capacity buckets than others. At some point, however, most people have experienced that bucket filling up and overflowing. What happens when you run so hot for so long that you start to burn out? More importantly, how do you bounce back? How resilient can you be? How far can you stretch that stress rubber band without snapping it? I wanted to chat about this with my smart friends. Of course, while none of us is a medical professional (and mental health should be taken very seriously), we had some thoughts and anecdotes to share around how to be more mentally resilient. In this episode: Why does mental resiliency matter? What are some ways to avoid mental exhaustion and burnout? When you do break down, how do you bounce back? What are some tips for increasing your resiliency? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

What is an architect? What is architecture? In the business technology context, is architecture a profession? What do architects do? A quick Google search reveals an endless debate on these topics that's been raging for several decades. Let's add more fuel to that fire and stir that pot... This episode is the third in a mashup series on this topic that began with an episode of IASA Global's "The Argument" podcast hosted by Paul Preiss (https://youtu.be/A6Bli8FYXz0) and continued in an episode of Tanium's "Architect Tomorrow" podcast hosted by Oliver Cronk (https://youtu.be/e6Q5y2o6JWU). Check these out as they each have a thematic take on architecture! While I enjoy a good endless debate with smart people, I wanted to focus on the topic of Architecture through the lens of Consulting. Joining me is Phil Yanov, Oliver Cronk, Whynde Kuehn and Chris Potts. Chris is an internationally recognized enterprise architect and mentor for small and large businesses across industries. He's also the author of a number of business novels about change called The FruITion Triology (https://technicspub.com/the-fruition-series/). In this episode: Consulting is known as a profession. Is architecture a profession? Can any consultant become an architect? Are architects actually consultants? Is there a difference between an architect inside a company versus an architect in a consulting firm? What skills do architects have versus consultants? This episode represents the third entry in the Podcast Mashup series representing the following totally awesome podcasts: Architect Tomorrow - https://youtube.com/ArchitectTomorrow/ Business Architecture Straight Talk https://bit.ly/st-podcasts https://bizarchmastery.com/straighttalk Consultants Saying Things - https://www.consultantssayingthings.com The Argument by IASA - https://iasaglobal.org/Public/Public/Events/Use-as-templates/TheArgument.aspx Tech After Five - https://www.techafterfive.com/ Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Four years ago a friend told me that since I had so much to say about business and technology topics that I should go make a podcast. In retrospect I think he just wanted me to quit bothering him. Joke's on him. I had him join the cast. 50 Episodes later, we've talked to dozens of people on many different topics... all related to how we as consultants can leverage our experience and knowledge to help deliver value to our clients. We've tried to make the discussions topical, meaningful and most of all, practical. Knowledge isn't particularly helpful if you have no realistic way to use it. Keeping things useful for the cat on the ground has always been important to us. We've had quite a lot of fun over the years and debated a variety of really interesting subjects. But what we enjoyed was not always what you, the viewers, found to be most helpful. For this 50th Episode, we wanted to see exactly which episodes where the most viewed on the Youtube channel, on the website consultantssayingthings.com and most listened to via the myriad audio-only services. We've pulled out clips from these Top 5 shows and put them together in one episode. In descending order, the episodes are: 1) The One About Agile Being Bullshit 2) The One About Business Architecture 3) The One About Consulting 4.0 4) The One About PMO 5) The One About Ethics in Consulting Keep in mind there are another 45 episodes out there that we think are ALSO pretty good. But these ones are the Top 5. There's new footage here that never made it into the final edits of the respective episodes. We also begin Episode 50 with what has been almost universally identified as the best cold open of the series to date... Thanks for continuing to watch. Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

The work environment can be tough. It is often political and tiresome and exhausting. The work week can be a tough slog. However... the workplace can often be very funny. Or at least, worthy of mockery and parody. We set about trying to lighten the mood by taking a look at various tropes and memes about work in general and consulting in particular. The jokes are many and can often be NSFW. We selected a number of memes off of Instagram and discussed them, had a laugh, and tried to decipher whether there was any merit to the meme. Are they true? Are they exaggeration? Are they simply myth? I'm joined by Phil Yanov, Oliver Cronk and Whynde Kuehn. In this episode: What are some good consulting memes that capture the essence of this line of work? For each meme, what are the real aspects and what is simply hyperbole? Can consulting memes teach anything to those wanting to enter the field? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

In the battle for talent, how do you identify people who are likely to exhibit the qualities you want? How do you do the same with your existing employees? Assessments? Reviews? Rorschach Tests? Many of us have been part of organizations that sought to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their staff by utilizing personality tests and skill assessments. They've been around for a long time. In fact, the first modern personality test was applied by the US Army in the early 1900s to identify soldiers that may be susceptible to shell shock. Fast-forward a hundred years and a quick Google search reveals the dozens of tests, frameworks, metamodels, questionnaires, and the like, which all purport to assist people in understanding each other. Whether it is Myers-Briggs, DISC, True Colors, 16PF, Winslow Personality Test, PCM, the Five Factor Model or any of a few dozen other tests and assessments, the question I had was simple: is any of this useful? Along with Oliver Cronk, Whynde Kuehn and special guest Andrew Tanner, we delve into that question and attempt to see how practitioners or consultancies might apply the various models. Andrew is an Organization Development and Change expert who's practiced in the field for over 20 years through his firm, Summerhill Consulting, and is currently the head of Learning and Development for PCF Bank in the UK. In this episode: Why do organizations use these tools? How are they typically used? How effective are they? Why would a consultant want to understand their personality type? What do these tools tell us about the skills needed for consulting? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

We all know smart people. They often have smart plans and smart designs. Sometimes fancy shoes. But the smartest plan or design is totally useless if it can't be explained to another human being. As humans, how do we share information in ways that convey our ideas, thoughts, intents, moods, histories? We tell stories. Sometimes the story is visual and can be anything from cave paintings to maps to plays to diagrams to art. Other times it is audio and involves music or oral histories. It can even be as simple as the written words or spreadsheets of data. The point of storytelling is to communicate. It is how we take simple or complex thoughts and share them with other people. It is how we lead people to see our vision. It is how we plant a flag, define a 'north star' or rally a nation to defend itself against impossible odds. Storytelling is a core competency for consultants. If you can't narrate, you can't explain your code, your architecture, your business strategy. It is central to what we do as consultants. I wanted to talk more about this with my smart friends. I also happen to think there is a great example of the "power of narrative" playing out in front of our eyes on the world stage. In this episode: Why do we care about stories? What makes stories important to consultants? What makes a good story or narrative? Why do some of us struggle to relate and narrate? How can one improve at storytelling? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

There is often a tendency for companies to prioritize action and delivery over planning and analysis. More "Deliver the widgets!" and less "What does our company actually do?" This can be seen in places where decision making is driven by technology and timelines instead of desired business outcomes, where the "How" and "When" is obsessed over while the "Why" is practically forgotten. But friends! It doesn't have to be this way! In the world of effective Business Architecture, understanding the "Why" actually enables and accelerates the "How" and the "When". In other words, if people on Project XYZ actually see and understand what the company does, why it does it, what business problem is being solved by their project and how the thing they're delivering helps move the entire enterprise toward its goals... well... things go faster, smoother, cheaper and end up better for everyone. My 100,000-foot view sounds easy. To dig into the right level of detail and understand Business Architecture, how it works and what it can really do, I turned to my smart friends Whynde Kuehn, Oliver Cronk and Phil Yanov. (By the way, Whynde is a globally recognized expert, consultant and educator in this space. A quick peek at her LinkedIn profile will give you the scoop...) In this Episode: What the heck IS Business Architecture anyway? How is it practiced? What are the methods and frameworks? What benefits does it provide? Who in the company should care? What are good examples of Business Architecture practice? What are bad ones? How does Business Architecture relate to Enterprise Architecture? How can you, yes YOU, get started in Business Architecture either as an employee in a company or as a consultant? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Well. 2021 is finally over. Did you learn anything? Will you do anything different with your career in 2022? If not now, then when? For our annual Christmas Special, we wanted to chat about careers in consulting. Not just for folks thinking of maybe entering the field, but also for those who are in consulting and thinking of a lateral change and ALSO those contemplating an exit from consulting. To help with that conversation, we brought in some folks we know that are living or have lived different aspects of the consulting lifestyle and had some insight to share. After all, the four of us don't know EVERYTHING there is to know about the topic. Hear some great insights from Joel McCreight, Brian Lindner, Max Kanaskar, Ian Liang and special guest star, Shashi Shrimali. But we also thought it would be cool to invite folks to watch us record the session live via Zoom and YouTube and get their questions answered. In this special Christmas episode: What's the best way to prepare for a career in consulting? How do you engage with good recruiters? What do you need to consider if you're leaving the corporate world for consulting? How can you change the type of consulting you do without actually leaving the field? What should you be thinking about if you plan on leaving consulting? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

In our connected world of technology, the ways in which we engage with businesses and clients can have a big impact. And as we've seen with the ways in which our public and private data is used by companies like Meta, not all impacts are positive. Some are downright manipulative. How does a company or an employee or a consultant working with a client know how to operate with transparency and integrity? We know that certain industries have regulations that define what is acceptable and compel compliance (law, medicine, accounting). There are also voluntary standards and practices established by working groups and business consortiums that can serve as guides to ethical behavior. However, many industries and especially many different forms of consulting lack clearly articulated and codified ethical rules. Is it right or wrong to give or receive bribes (or dinners, or gifts) as part of doing business? Where are the guardrails in fudging timesheets? Is it okay to use user-data, given voluntarily or not, to target ads or shape opinion or manipulate thought? Even if these things are done for 'good' purposes or without ill intent? Beyond employees or corporate entities, there is an opportunity for those of us who advise and solve problems for our clients to be better Philosopher-Consultants and operate with virtue and integrity. But ethics can be complex issues, often culturally specific and rarely black or white. Tough scene for consultants to navigate. So I asked my friends Phil Yanov, Oliver Cronk, and Whynde Kuehn to chat with me about it. In this episode: What does it mean for a company or a person to act with virtue? What does it mean to be ethical? When are ethics clear? When are they ambiguous? What are the cultural contexts at play here? How does a person in a company navigate ethics? How does a consultant work ethically and advise clients ethically? How does an employee or consultant know that they're acting ethically? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Consultants often help clients think about complex problems with few easy answers. There are almost always trade-offs to be made, regulations to follow, expenses to incur all while trying to run a business and make a profit. One of the most complex issues involving tough decisions is around how best to utilize business (or national) resources in a manner that ensures the business (or nation) can continue to grow and thrive in a way that doesn't negatively impact everyone else. Are you an oil company looking at how you'll be in business in 40 years if no one is buying gasoline or oil-based plastics? What alternative product lines should you be looking at? Are you a search-engine giant that uses more electricity than some countries to power your data centers? How do you supply that business need without causing brownouts? Solar? Wind? Fusion? Are you a Northeastern Pennsylvania-based mid-size paper company that uses a lot of trees? Perhaps finding a way to make your product from fast-growing varieties like bamboo instead of old-growth oak is a good way to ensure your business can continue to make product into the future. Decisions... some forced by the State, some forced by shareholders, others just good business planning, others perhaps totally altruistic. Sounds like an opportunity for a consultant looking to make a difference. I gathered my friends to discuss Sustainability and opportunities in that space. Along with Oliver Cronk, Whynde Kuehn and Phil Yanov, I was joined by Jonathan Gibbard who is a Business Unit Director for Sustainable Infrastructure & Operations at Ricardo Energy & Environment in the UK. In this Episode: What do we really mean by Sustainability? What is driving companies to invest in Sustainable practices? What is the state of the Sustainable Consulting industry? Where are there career opportunities in this space for new or experienced consultants? What does a consulting engagement look like that deals with Sustainability? Who has the worst middle-name combo, Chris or Oliver? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

If I were to only read my LinkedIn feed, I'd think every industry is being disrupted all the time, every day... Certainly a search for "future of consulting" yields plenty of opinion along with thought pieces about new business models and such. Many of these results are a bit frenzied, foreboding and filled with gloom about AI and Gen Z taking over consulting. I'm not sure exactly what the future of consulting looks like. So I asked my friends, Phil Yanov, Whynde Kuehn and Oliver Cronk to give me their thoughts on the subject. In this episode: What do we think is changing? What was the impact of COVID-19 on consulting? How do consultancies change with the times? How does automation impact consulting? How do consultants position themselves to take advantage of changes to the industry? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. Be sure to sign up for email updates whenever we post new content. It's right over there on the right hand side of the page >>>>> You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Is it The Great Rebalance? The Great Reshuffle? The Great Resignation? The Great Discontent? To read about it, companies are really struggling to find workers these days. Clearly there aren't enough people that want to work. We think that's just a load of codswallop. There was a recent LinkedIn News story about the consulting boom/bust job cycle that caught my eye. The story said that 2 in 3 consulting firms are short-staffed and 1 in 5 have to turn down work as a result. More than half said that recruiting and retention have become much harder this year. I wondered, is this because the firms didn't forecast demand correctly? Were they spooked by COVID and didn't plan recruiting properly? We know labor force participation in the US is declining... are consultants just dropping out of the workforce? Are people doing their own entrepreneurial thing? I wanted the input of my smart friends Phil Yanov, Whynde Kuehn and Oliver Cronk. In this episode: Is there really a shortage of consultants? Why might there be one? What is going on in the overall labor market that might add context? Is there a labor shortage or just a labor realignment or are the workers just hiding in plain sight? How do consultants navigate this boom/bust cycle of demand for their skills? What should existing or aspiring consultants be considering as they look at this landscape? What changes should consulting firms be making to attract and retain talent? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

The model entrepreneur gets up one morning with a great idea, quits their job and boldly strikes out on their own... single-handedly building a great company from nothing, attracting flocks of clients, finding happiness and peace of mind and easily striking it rich. Modern-day gold rush. Except that's false. Like... totally false. All of it. So many misconceptions of what entrepreneurship is about, especially among consultants who think that's a great exit strategy someday. I called up my long-time friend Adam Anderson for a chat. Adam is the kind of cat who has started and run several of his own companies, gone from Founder to CEO a few times and helps others do the same, been entrepreneurship scholar-in-residence at two major Universities, sits on multiple startup boards, hangs out with Richard Branson and is currently trying to figure out how to make moonshine in space... among other things. I gotta tell you, it was a fantastic conversation. I mean, this is just pure gold. In this episode: What are the mistakes most consultants make when they decide to go the entrepreneur route? What's the reality of being the one-person show, of doing it all yourself? Is there an entrepreneur archetype? What is the role of innovation in entrepreneurship? What are the tools you need to have or acquire as you make the jump from full time job to going solo? Adam shares his journey from Employee to Consultant to Founder to CEO to CEO who helps CEO's navigate the same Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Consulting may be an old profession (the second oldest?) but no one can argue that it hasn't undergone tremendous change over the past 20 years. It makes sense, after all. Consulting reflects the business technology challenges and opportunities that clients are experiencing. And there's been incredible business technology change in the recent decades. Which begs the question, what is it like being a young consultant of Millennial or Gen Z upbringing? For insight I turned to my smart friends and a smart, young consultant, Ian Liang, with whom I've worked in the past. Ian has been a consultant for a Big 4 firm, worked in market strategy at Uber and is currently in Strategy and Analytics at a media firm in Los Angeles. He may also be scarred for life having worked on my teams in the past. In this episode: What prompts a young person, fresh from college, to enter the consulting field? Do young people generally know what they're getting into with consulting? Is consulting experience as valued by the young as it once was? What do the fresh entrants into this field NOT know that may surprise them? What are the different expectations of the youth entering consulting today? Why do young people LEAVE consulting? Is the 10-15 year path to Partner career still relevant to the youth of today? Is there a consultant DNA? Do experiences vary by gender? And importantly for our guest Ian, would he do it again knowing what he knows now? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

I used to think that if I could just clone myself a few times I might have the most perfect team and we'd produce the most perfect slides... Aside from that likely being a disaster, I used to think that's how mentorship worked. I mentor or coach someone to do things in the method of whatever firm we were working for so that I had more arms and legs to do work for clients. Luckily I learned better. It isn't about the firm or the client or even the work. It's about individual growth of both the mentor and the mentee. I wanted to explore the concept of mentorship with some of my smart friends. So I sat down with Phil Yanov, Whynde Kuehn and Oliver Cronk. In this Episode: What do we mean by mentorship? What are the different models of mentorship? How do we compare apprenticeship, coaching, mentorship? Why is it important to people at all stages of the career? What is the difference between mentorship and therapy? What is good mentorship and what isn't? What works? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Well it looks like things are getting back to normal. Everyone should just go back to doing things like they did prior to Covid. All will be as it was… Or not. As the case may be. Have you heard the predictions for an imminent return to normalcy? Are you excited by the prospect of everyone working the 9-5, Monday thru Friday grind in the old cubicle just like before? Isn’t every consultant thrilled about the notion of going back to that 4am Monday flight to Peoria or Altoona or Wichita to sit in a conference room, face lit by the soft glow of PowerPoint slides and Excel formulas until that late Thursday flight home? What does the looming return to work portend for business, for clients, for consultants? I decided to ask my friends for their input on the matter. Joining me is Phil Yanov, Whynde Kuehn and Oliver Cronk. In this Episode: Where do things stand a year into Covid now that vaccinations are in play? What about our business models and work routines has changed? Which changes will stick? What will go back to the way it was before? What should we be thinking with regard to our work patterns? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Welp. Glad this year's over. Perfect time to pour a drink, to be honest. It's also a perfect time for the third annual Christmas episode of the Consultants Saying Things podcast! It's great filler for that hole in spacetime between Christmas and New Year's. Join the full crew of Consultants Saying Things as we look forward to 2021 and what it holds in store for the consulting industry. We answer questions from LinkedIn and do it with a bit of liquid holiday cheer! And also we have some very special guests! Joining us: Brent Stokes from episode 35 (Recruiting) joins us at 00:01:25 Oliver Cronk from episode 30 (Endpoint Security) at 00:18:30 Hussain Bandukwala from episode 18 (PMO) at 00:27:00 Jim Sevier from episode 06 (CRM) at 00:34:24 Doug Cone from episode 04 (Open Source) at 00:51:56 Nathan Allchin from episode 34 (Philosophy) at 01:02:25 Mike Walker from episode 28 (Enterprise Architecture) at 01:10:20 Larry Gioia from episode 09 (Empathy) at 01:31:05 That wraps season 3 of the podcast. 36 episodes in the 30-90 minute range over the past 3 years. If you have a second, please subscribe. We'll see you in 2021. Enjoy! Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

It's been a rough year. Companies have downsized and a maybe you've lost your job. You've sent out dozens or hundreds of resumes, worked your network. What now? Consultants are maybe more used to searching for the next gig, but even for them, times are tough. And for the companies that panicked earlier in 2020 and let go of all of that talent, intellectual capital and institutional knowledge, how on earth do you find the skills needed to power your 2021 plans? It somehow seems that in a market chock full of talent that can't find gigs, companies can't find anyone to fill their needs. Enter professional executive recruiters. These are people who's entire life is spent understanding companies and the skills they need, developing relationships over time with talent in the market and playing matchmaker between the two. To talk about this, I brought in my friend Brent Stokes from Bluesignal. In our conversation: What is professional recruiting? Isn’t it just staffing? Why do so many recruiting services get it so wrong when it comes to finding candidates? How do job-hunters, consultants, find the right recruiter to work with? Why do companies need recruiting services? They have HR already… What are some tips for consultants looking for work right now? What are some tips for companies searching for talent right now? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

If you live in the real world, if you practice your profession in the real world, then you'll know the real world loves throwing crap at you whenever it can. The challenges come at us from every angle: family, work, friends, clients, colleagues, children, culture, technology, politics, pandemics... just to name a few. How on Earth is your average consultant expected to navigate this, continue to be productive, and stay sane? One way is by adopting and applying certain philosophies as frameworks for interacting with our world and our work. I have some friends that are interested (and knowledgeable) in this area and I sat them down for a chat. Added to this group is my friend Nathan Allchin who spent quite a bit of time in AI research and has been a management consultant for, well, for ever. In our conversation: Why would anyone need a framework like this to begin with? Why would a consultant need a philosophy? What types of problems would we expect to solve by applying philosophy to consulting? What philosophies or frameworks might one apply? Are philosophies really just like architecture frameworks in that they’re highly context dependent? Or is there a one-philosophy-fits-all kind of thing out there? Where could a consultant/practitioner go to learn more? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Consulting can be a tough game. All of these Type-A personalities aggressively posturing and circling each other for the kill. Egos are large and there's no shortage of locker-room braggadocio. It's an industry that employs far too many sports metaphors and comes with a distinct odor of machismo. Couple this with the fact that consultants dealing in Business/Technology Architecture roles often have technical or engineering backgrounds and this sets the scene for one of the great critiques of the field: Consulting is a Boys Club. I wanted to talk to my friends about what it's like for women in the consulting field. I turned to the smartest business architect consultant I know, Whynde Keuhn, to join the cast for a lively discussion on the topic. In our conversation: Why is there a gender imbalance in consulting? Why does it matter? What other tropes about women in consulting can be debunked? What could men learn from their female consultant colleagues that could perhaps improve our effectiveness? What could women learn from their male consultant colleagues that could perhaps improve THEIR effectiveness? For people just starting out in consulting, what are the key take-aways? Should the world just be run by women? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

I'm tired of Covid. How bout you? We've all been talking quite a lot about Covid impacts. We've all been living the Covid new-normal lifestyle. We've been quarantined and socially distanced and working from home and hunkered down. I mean, it is pretty clear that the impacts of Covid are massive in scope, global in scale and quite possibly with us for a while (maybe, like the flu and its seasonal vaccine, here for good). Everyone has had their routine upended, lost jobs, lost opportunities, lost connections. My question is simple: Have we learned anything or will things just go back to the way they were before? I was basically ranting about this with my friends and we turned it into another episode of the podcast. In our conversation: Chris is sick of Covid and now he's gonna say what he really thinks What's the deal with schools and virtual learning? What is the societal impact of this education system we've developed? What do leaders do to learn from the Covid experience and move forward? Was this a black swan event or not? Have we learned ANYTHING? What do practitioners do to start accepting and moving forward?

You may be thinking that now is the time to hunker down and just hope your business can survive. But what if you're missing out on a killer opportunity? With the economy under pressure, an ongoing global pandemic and a healthy dose of socio-political uncertainty, it sure seems like the moment is right for the enterprise to keep its head down. Of course, if your company is out there hunting for value, the time may just be perfect. I was curious about the impact of technology and uncertainty on value creation in unstable times. What opportunities might exist for the bold and unafraid? As usual, I turned to my smart friends to help me think it out. In our conversation: Who are the value hunters in these times? What impact can technology make on value creation with so much instability? Are we in the midst of a Private Equity gold rush to snap up stressed companies? What can a consultant do to take advantage of the current situation? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)

Check your endpoint. It's probably not as safe from cyberthreats as you think. And Covid made it worse... The cybersecurity landscape has been dicey for years. In just the past week there have been massive outages in the networks of Tesla, Microsoft, Apple and AT&T. Think about that. Those companies basically impact every aspect of life. And while they've done a lot to protect their services over the years, the pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works. If huge global companies with billions of dollars and super smart people are vulnerable, how safe are those corporate assets on the company laptop you're using for Zoom calls from home (Pajamas, noisy dogs, screaming e-learning kids and bad lighting not withstanding)? I wanted to know more about this. So I asked my good friend Oliver Cronk to come on the podcast and talk about it. Oliver isn't just smart. He's also British. So he SOUNDS smarter as well. Beyond that, he's the Chief Architect at Tanium. Perhaps you've heard of them? They protect endpoint assets of small mom & pop shops like the US Air Force. So, yeah. These folks know something about endpoint security. In our conversation: How has our new way of working impacted traditional security? Is the 'enterprise fortress' still relevant to security? How should CISO's, Risk Officers and other stakeholders adapt? How are Consultants able to take advantage of these trends? How can we better serve our clients in this environment? Is Phil really just an aged future version of Chris? Add your thoughts to the conversation on LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. You can also like and subscribe on the YouTube Channel (and you should!)